‘Soul of Russia’ International Festival of the Peoples of the North to Offer Master Classes on How to Make Unique Ethnic Handicrafts

The ‘Soul of Russia’ International Festival of the Peoples of the North will take place on 14–17 June at Lenfilm Studio as part of the cultural programme of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The Festival is part of the plan of events for Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are managed by the Roscongress Foundation.

Guests of the festival will have an opportunity to attend master classes taught by local craftsmen who make unique ethnic, traditional, and stylized handicrafts that reflect the national identity of the northern regions. There will be master classes on how to hand weave a key ring and how to make pendants out of pine root and Cloudberry polymer clay, crotchet spinning wheels with traditional Vychegda and Pizhma depictions of places from the Komi Republic, Kamchatka bracelets made of fish skin, and pendants made of deer horn. Yamalo-Nenets artists will also hold master classes on traditional sewing and bone carving, and Yugra craftswomen will offer a master class on how to make the traditional dolls of the Ob Ugrians, while Yakut virtuosos will teach people how to play the guimbarde musical instrument.

“Attending in person is the best way to experience the creative process, understand the artist’s talent, and appreciate the importance of preserving cultural heritage. The opportunity offered by the ‘Soul of Russia’ Festival to participate in master classes in traditional crafts that have a long history enables people to not only get an exceptional spiritual experience, but also provides comprehensive and important support to our common efforts to preserve the traditional way of life of the Indigenous peoples of the Russian North and their unique cultural features,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee.

The Festival, which is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation’s Social Platform with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, aims to showcase the best projects and achievements of representatives of the creative industries in Russia, with an emphasis on unique regional and ethnic features. The participants will pay particular attention to the modern reinterpretation of the traditional creative industries of the Indigenous peoples of the North.

“Master classes on how to make traditional products that reflect national identity are a good way to get acquainted with the rich historical, cultural, and spiritual potential of the North. For contemporary people, getting closer to the age-old traditions of the northern peoples is an opportunity to realize our common roots and unite our cultural codes and values in harmony with nature,” Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic Alexei Chekunkov said.

“The ‘Soul of Russia’ Festival is attracting interest and attention to the creative potential of the peoples of the Russian North. [Their] original traditions and interpretation in a new, modern reading are crucial to the development of ethnic art and the global promotion of national values,” Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials and Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Korchunov said.

In addition, the SPIEF will address the Arctic agenda with events at the ‘The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ booth of the Russian Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East. The booth’s business programme will feature approximately 15 sessions, including the planned events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council: the sessions ‘Preservation and Monitoring of Arctic Diversity’, ‘The Northern Sea Route. Results and Plans’, ‘The Russian Arctic: A Centre of Attraction. Protected Areas of the 21st Century’, and ‘Film Production in the Arctic: A Dialogue between Nature and Technology’.